Memories Long Gone
by Yamazumi
Summary: Emma and Regina never figure out a way to get Henry's memories back, but Emma and Henry stay in Storybrooke and he grows up with the towns true nature being kept a secret from him. Ten years later he finally gets his memories back.


**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters **

**I'm not a writer, at all! So please forgive me if this is awful but I cannot remember the last time I wrote for pleasure. This idea just popped into my head and I was going put it on Tumblr as a request but figured I may as well give it a go myself.**

* * *

They'd never meant to give up hope, but the years rolled on and they exhausted all their options. Henry grew close to Regina, and his grandparents, regardless, although in his eyes they were simply close family friends. They spent holidays and special occasions together and it worked, they were happy.

They defeated Zelena in a sense. Or rather it was that she came to her senses and found peace, but nonetheless allowed them to effectively banish her back to Oz. She was the last magical threat they experienced. After that keeping all things magic a secret from Henry was easy. It was rarely practiced now there was no need for it. It took a lot longer for Mary Margaret, David, and Regina to safely interact with Henry without anything slipping out, but in the end it just became second nature.

Hook and Emma became a thing at one point, and whilst he played the role of mom's cool boyfriend pretty well, having finally changed his leather for chinos and a jacket, he was never really father material and couldn't quite commit to a family, so instead he and Emma just became good friends. It turns out Hook was more Red's type, neither of them wanted to deal with the responsibility of their own kids and they happily spent their years gallivanting off to all corners of the globe, Red got to see her lemurs and Hook got to experience modern day pirates during an unfortunate incident whilst cruising off the coast of East Africa.

Hood and Regina, well, it just never panned out _that_ way for them, she'd admit to enjoying his company, and she quite fell in love with the adorable Roland, but it wasn't what she wanted, another family, she was quite content with what she had even if Henry would never see her as his mom ever again.

David and Mary Margaret's son Daniel may have been Henry's Uncle, but the roles reserved for obvious reasons and Henry grew into a responsible young man who could easily be trusted with looking after the young boy when the adults were busy. Daniel too was oblivious to his family connection but enjoyed having, what in his eyes was an older "brother", to grow up with.

At eighteen Henry went off to college in Boston and four years later, he was in his final year, working part time and studying hard in his final months of education, struggling to find time to travel back to see his much missed family and friends.

* * *

It was one morning, shortly before an exam, when Henry had quickly jogged through the foyer of his residential halls and checked his mail, with every intention of rushing off to the library to cram in some information from a lecture he assumes he must have been asleep in, because he hasn't the foggiest idea about the topic. Most of his mail is generic crap, companies offering him credit cards, a bank statement, a few take-out leaflets, he's accumulated quite a pile, (he's not entirely sure when he last checked his mail, he's been so busy and it's rare he gets anything important), amongst it a letter catches his eye, it's a thick envelop sealed with wax, on it some sort of emblem or crest. He takes it with him and carries on towards his destination peeling it open as he goes. He pulls out a small vial filled with a viscous blue liquid, and a note that simply states "drink this". He chuckles to himself for a second, because who would be stupid enough to drink something sent in a letter with no return address when there is no clue to what it actually is. However, his curiosity gets the better of him and he pulls out the cork to give it a sniff and it turns out it doesn't smell of much at all. He throws the envelope and note in a bin as he passes and reapplies the cork before shoving the vial into one of his pockets.

At the library Henry runs into his roommate Sam, most of their friends had decided to move out of halls as the years went on, but him and Sam got on well and continued to room together, and campus meant being close to lectures and all the college facilities.

"Wondered when you'd get here, I had to fight off a couple of football players to save you a computer"

"Yeah, sorry, I had to close up the café last night and got in pretty late" Henry explained before trading in the computer stool that had seen better days for a comfier chair from one of the tables behind them and sitting down next to his friend.

Henry had his own laptop that he did all his work on, but the major downfall of halls was that their wifi was unbelievably slow, not helped by the fact that students who'd already finished for the year and were still making the most of their rent were probably streaming all their favourite shows now they actually had time to watch them. Besides, it was easier to use a library computer to research and his own laptop to make notes on as he went along.

After starting up the computer and pulling up the lecture notes from his college's student site, he remembered the vial in his pocket and took it out to show Sam.

"What do you think of this?"

"Urm, it looks like a glass bottle with a dodgy looking blue liquid in it to me"

"I know that, but someone sent it me through the post and told me I should drink it"

"Who sent it?"

"I don't know it didn't have a return address, I'm not really inclined to think it's anything good but why would someone be optimistic enough to send it me with no explanation?"

"Banking on that insatiable curiosity of yours" Sam laughed, before adding, "But, I wouldn't trust it in the slightest so you're probably best tipping it down the drain"

Henry knew Sam was right, but he didn't want to just get rid of it and never find out what it was.

"Maybe I could ask a chem student if they could figure out what it is for me? They can do that right?"

"Yup, probably, but everyone's pretty busy at the moment, my friend Rachel takes chemistry but I know she's got her exams around the same days we have ours".

Henry just grunted in acknowledgement before turning back to his computer.

* * *

They worked together for a few hours, trying to fit as much information in for their exam first thing the next day, Henry had work again at five that evening, unfortunately his boss had taken a few days off so he was partly responsible for the café until he was back, which meant later nights than usual, not at all helpful when he had so much college work to be getting done. At four o'clock he figured he should get off and get some food and a shower before heading to work.

"I'll see you later, or in the morning yeah Sam?"

"Yup, definitely, do you want me to wake you when I get up?"

"Not really no, but it's probably for the best, may as well try and fit a bit of revision in before nine"

"Only three more weeks, then we only have to worry about a few assignments and we'll be done, forever"

Henry grinned and disappeared off through the library, heading to the canteen for a quick bite to eat before going back to his dorm and showering.

Work was uneventful as usual, and at eleven thirty he locked up the café and headed to campus. It was a nice night and luckily he only worked a few blocks from his dorm, so he happily took the opportunity to get some fresh air after being stuck inside either studying or working all day.

His mom hated to think of him walking through the streets of the city alone, but he often reminded her he was 6ft tall and after living there for four years, as well as the time when he was a kid before he and his mum moved to New York, he was quite comfortable exploring the city, no matter what time of day it was.

It was dark out, being close to midnight, but the city lights illuminated the streets as he strolled along, and as he shoved his hands in his pockets he was again reminded of the vial he'd be carrying around all day. In all honesty he hadn't really stopped thinking about it, something was making him believe he should just take a chance with it, as long as he did it on campus if anything were to happen to him at least he'd be in a safe environment, although maybe he should wait until eleven tomorrow when he'd finished his exam because whilst hospitalization was enough to exempt him and allow him to take it at a later date, if the liquid had any side effects he'd probably just get pulled up for doing drugs.

He turned to take a short cut through a dark alley as he pulled the vial out of his pocket to inspect for the millionth time, however, this time the blue liquid glowed.

"Well, that's new" Henry said to himself as he reached the end of the alley, he realised he hadn't actually had it out in the dark as he stepped back on the lit up street the glow subsided.

This new discovery did nothing to curb his interest and he opened the vial again as he turned onto campus, he popped his finger over the end of it before turning it upside down, allowing a small amount to come out and cover the tip of his index finger.

In his head, a little bit wouldn't hurt, so he cautiously swiped he tongue over it.

It was like a bright light in his head, his eyes, he wasn't quite sure, and he wouldn't really be able to describe it to anyone, maybe it was more like a flash, but suddenly there was this memory. He couldn't quite decipher what the memory was but from what he could tell, it was from Storybrooke.

That wasn't particularly odd in itself, he'd lived in Storybrooke since his mum had gone to do a "job" there when he was twelve and he'd gone on to live there for another six years before deciding he'd like to get out of the small town for a few years and go to college. However, he felt like this memory was from a younger age than that, it wasn't possible he was mixing Storybrooke up from anywhere else, he and Emma had never lived anywhere but cities, certainly never in the suburbs or small towns.

He contemplated his next action for a few seconds, he knew he should get back to his dorm and go to bed, but that flash, that memory; he wanted to know if drinking it all would make it clearer.

So he did, he considered sipping it, but in the end opted to drink it like a shot and threw it back. This time it wasn't a quick flash of light, it was a searing white light that filled his eyes and he dropped to his knees as the liquid worked it magic. He wasn't entirely sure how he managed it, but he stumbled back to his dorm and crawled into bed as a thousand new memories swirled around in his head, twisting with eleven years of fake memories.

* * *

Henry awoke in the morning to his room mate shouting at him.

"Oi, Henry, come on man wake up, time to rise and shine and knock this exam out like a boss"

Henry groaned.

"I didn't hear you get in last night, what time was it?"

Suddenly Henry shot up in bed, his previous night's activities hitting him, and a moment later his memories, his real memories. Memories of eleven years growing up in a strange town where no-one could ever quite remember anything that had happened in the past, memories of a story book, memories of travelling to Boston to find Emma, memories of magic and dragons and the dark one, memories of Neverland and Peter Pan, and most importantly of all, memories of his mom, his Regina.

He choked back a sob.

"Dude, are you okay?" Sam asked, concerned, as Henry's face crumpled and he broke down into tears. Sam has never seen Henry cry, never seen him remotely upset, he was always happy, he had a nice home life, plenty of friends, he got good grades, he sometimes left work a little longer than he should, but he got it done in the end and never let himself get stressed out. Their classes had been significantly larger first year, with many people dropping out as the demands of college got too much for them. But not Henry, he was always relaxed, always got everything done in his own time and didn't worry about much at all.

"I… I need to go home"

"Home? As in Storybrooke? We have an exam in an hour and a half, you've got to go to it"

"I can't explain, I need to go" And with that Henry dragged himself off his bed, grabbed some clothes and headed to the bathroom.

Sam didn't want to interfere, he didn't know what was going on but he was worried for his friend. He knew that sometimes there were situations that were more important than college, but four years of hard work and he didn't want to see Henry throw it away. Sure, even if he failed that class he'd be able to retake it but they'd already got a year of assignments and presentations out of the way. He pulled out his notes and sat down on his bed, skimming through what he figured would be most important.

Henry came back ten minutes later.

"Are you going to tell me what's up?"

"Just, honestly, I'm sorry I can't really explain, it's, it's my mom I need to get back to her"

"Emma? Is she okay?"

Henry considered telling him for a second, but thought better of it, it would only open up a whole host of other questions he didn't want to answer"

"Look, I have to go, don't worry about me okay, go take your exam, I'll figure everything out when I'm done with stuff at home"

Sam scowled at Henry for a second, he couldn't help being concerned about him but he knew he couldn't jeopardise his own studies as well, if Henry had a family emergency he's sure the education board would understand and allow him to take the exam at a later date, but the same couldn't be said for himself.

He nodded, "Okay, if you insist, but call me when you're home okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, will do".

Henry had been busying himself collecting a few important items to take home, he filled his travel bag with a couple of pairs of shorts and jeans, a few t-shirts and enough underwear for a week. He pulled on a jacket and grabbed his car keys from the side of his bed.

When he went off to college Emma had given him her bug, being sheriff she could mostly get away with using a cruiser to get about town, and it's not really like Storybrooke was so big she couldn't just walk anywhere she needed to go, if she really needed it, she could borrow David's truck. Henry had happily accepted the little yellow car, and he remembers Regina frowning and asking Emma if it was really reliable enough to be making journeys across state.

"Bye Henry, drive safe" Sam tells him, before watching Henry walk to the door.

"Thanks Sam, for the concern, I'll see you soon" And with that, Henry left the dorm and headed to the parking lot.

* * *

As he climbs into the VW, he thinks that maybe he should call home first, but he's not really sure what to say. He's a little shaky, he's not sure if it's nerves, sadness, or anger. Probably a mix of all three. He's a little mad because they never told him. Even without his memories they could have explained what had happened. He was still a kid at the time, the same kid who received a story book full of fairy tales and decided that everyone in his town was cursed by an evil queen. Who just happened to be his mom. His eyes stung a little as he held back the tears, he put the key in the ignition and started up the engine. He could hardly be a crying mess if he's to get home in one piece.

They'd kept everything from him, his family, the magic, his entire life. It's weird now. He has these memories of growing up with Emma, it was difficult at times but she worked hard and gave him a happy childhood. But none of that was real. Emma had given him up and he'd been raised by Regina, he can't help but let a few tears stream down his face at that thought.

He knows that for the past ten years he'd been around Regina a lot, they were close, they'd practically been family anyway, but something about not knowing for all that time that Regina was his mom made him feel like he'd missed so much. Missed her.

He makes it out of the city in good time, somehow managing to miss the morning traffic and starts his journey north towards Maine, towards home. He's got several hours to mull over his thoughts, consider what he's going to say, think about how much he's missed not knowing about the true nature of Storybrooke, not knowing about magic.

* * *

It's around midday when he passes the infamous "Welcome to Storybrooke" sign, and the sight of it makes his stomach flip. He's definitely nervous now. He thinks about going home first, to his and Emma's flat. He'd always thought it a little strange they'd moved in there, back when Mary Margaret and David still lived in it. Sure, they'd stayed at Granny's B&B for a few days, but then they were just spending so much time at the flat MM pointed out they may as well just move in there since they were staying a for a bit. And well, that "for a bit" turned into a few months, and then a year, and then five years, and he may have gone to Boston after six but Storybrooke became his home.

MM and David had gotten new house with the arrival of Daniel, who, Henry just realised is his Uncle. So he and Emma and the flat to themselves, Emma having the bedroom in the main living area and Henry enjoying the privacy of the smaller bedroom upstairs as he got a little older.

In the end, he decides to head straight to Mifflin street, he might be a little scared but he doesn't want to put off seeing Regina any longer. He pulls up onto the drive however only to spend a couple of minutes gathering the courage to go and knock on the door, it turns out those moment were wasted when, after five minutes of knocking, he realises no-one is home and heads back to the car.

He then realises, mentally face palming, that it's a week day and Regina will be at work, he's not entirely sure when she was reinstated as Mayor, somewhere between Emma and MM coming back from the enchanted forest and him getting whisked off to Neverland by Greg and Tamara. Or maybe it was after that. That year was a bit of a mess, what with the curse breaking, and villains popping out left right and centre.

He heads off to the town hall, but part way there glances down at the time, it's now twelve thirty, and Regina will most likely be on her lunch break, so he decides to head to the diner instead.

He parks in front and quickly heads in, a quick glance around however shows there to be no Regina.

"Henry, what a nice surprise, Emma said you wouldn't be back for another month at least" he hears a familiar voice say behind him. He turns to greet his old therapist. Not that the small red headed man was ever his therapist in his fake memories.

"Hi Archie" Henry offers with a small smile, "I'm not done yet no, but something came up and I had to come back"

Archie gives him a puzzled look, and opens his mouth to speak, but before he can Henry adds, "I gotta go anyway, I'm looking for my mom, you haven't see her have you?"

"I'm afraid not, although if she's not here she's probably at the station"

Henry realises he's talking about Emma, obviously, but thanks the man anyway and leaves the diner before heading off towards the station.

The drive had given him a chance to calm down, and although still worried about what he's going to say to Regina, he feels a little strange, a little embarrassed by the fact he has to explain to her he knows she's his mom. He enters to station to find Emma at her desk, eating her usual bear claw, with a granny's take out bag sat next to her paper work.

"Henry!" Emma exclaims in shock, "what are you doing here? Don't you have exams?"

"Urm, yeah, sort of, but I had to come home, do you know where Regina is?" And if by magic (he chuckles slightly to himself thinking this), Regina appears from the station bathroom, her signature heels clicking across the floor.

He feels the colour drain out of him, his nerves making him feel sick to his stomach as the women he's known only as Regina the Mayor for the past twelve years, comes into view. But in that very moment he knows he doesn't need to explain how he knows. There is only one thing he needs to say. And he strides to her, confident now, and embraces her.

"Mom, I've missed you so much".

It takes Regina a second to realise what he means, but when it finally dawns on her she lets the tears flow as she hugs him tightly, hoping she'll never again be forced to experience losing him.

She peers over Henry's shoulder at Emma, who, more than anything looks shocked, but that fades away after a few moments and she smiles at Regina.


End file.
